Around 158.9 million consumers plan to shop on the last Saturday before Christmas, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The number is up from 157.2 million shoppers in 2024, and surpasses the previous record of 158.5 million in 2022.
“As the final Saturday before Dec. 25, Super Saturday is a significant shopping event for both consumers and retailers,” says Katherine Cullen, NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights. “This year’s event falls only five days before the Christmas holiday, and consumers will shop across retailers and channels in search of the final gifts on their lists and other holiday items they need to complete a memorable holiday season.”
Super Saturday shoppers are expected to embrace multiple channels this year, with 71.6 million (45%) planning to shop both in-store and online, up from 69.5 million (44%) in 2024. For the remainder who are planning to shop a single channel, 46.2 million people (29%) will do so exclusively in-store, while 41.1 million (26%) will shop online only.
Online shopping is expected to account for 46%, followed by department stores at 33% and discount stores at 26%.
As of early December, consumers had completed just over half of their holiday shopping on average. For those who still had more than half of their items left on their shopping lists, the top reasons included that they were still trying to figure out what to buy (33%), had other financial priorities before December (25%) or were waiting for family and friends to let them know what gifts they wanted (23%).
“Along with tangible items, gifts of experience continue to be a popular choice for people looking to create memories with loved ones,” says Phil Rist, Prosper Insights & Analytics executive vice president of strategy. “Three in 10 shoppers (31%) plan to give an experience this year, such as art classes or tickets to an event. This figure has grown in popularity over the past 10 years, when only 22% of shoppers expected to give an experience in 2015.”
Around 70% of shoppers plan to shop during the week after Christmas, with the majority looking to take advantage of holiday sales deals and promotions.
